Fire Brigade :

Round-the-clock service

by Nilma DOLE

42 metre ladder

Chief Fire Officer J.Kannangara

Everytime the siren of a fire ambulance engulfs the city streets, many freeze in their tracks as the brave firefighters embark on a journey not only to douse a fire but also to save lives. "The Fire Department has to be alert at all times because time is precious and saving lives is the priority", Chief Fire Officer J. Kannangara pointed out. Spending the day at the Fire Department might be a memorable experience for most schoolchildren who have their annual trips here but being a fire fighter is a serious career.

"Every morning, our fire fighters queue up to have their duties assigned and also being responsible for the particular fire fighting vehicles" went on the Fire Chief. The job functions of a fire fighter changes everyday so training in every sphere is essential.

With the recent Lucky Plaza fire that was handled by this determined unit just about a month ago, Colombo city's Fire Department has been geared better than ever before to deal with emergency fire operations.

"Under a special project initiated by the Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, the Netherlands Government has granted a loan of 30 million Euros where eight million Euros have been allocated to develop the infrastructure network of the Colombo Fire Brigade with 18 fire fighting units". The Netherlands Government has also given the Fire Department a 42-metre ladder to 'pluck' people from high-rise buildings as a backup since a single 54 metre ladder for the Lucky Plaza fire evacuation was used. "We need to think of large scale operations where more than one ladder need to be used to save people from sky-scrapers", said the Fire Chief.

Firefighters	Special hazardous material suit costing Rs.five hundred thousand	Hazardous Material Response vehicle

Expert trainers from Netherlands and Germany have given thirty-three firefighters of ours a refresher course to create a Special Responsive Unit (SRU) at the Colombo Fire Brigade. The firefighters have obtained comprehensive training on the latest methods in rescue operations.

"The Netherlands Government has also given us a Hazardous Materials Response Vehicle which helps in combating toxic materials like radioactive waste and we are presently training on that", said .Kannangara. "In 2009 May, we will be opening another fire station at Roxy Gardens, Wellawatte and a training centre to guide even doctors and the Armed Forces ", he said. At the moment, the fire fighting team also assists in aftermath rescue operations in bomb attacks.

"Our fire fighting unit has been trained by the National Hospital on life-sustaining aspects which are useful in administering treatment to victims whenever there is an emergency ", he disclosed.

"The 110 emergency 24 hour hotline at the Fire Department is the official telephone number to deal with fire emergencies but more often than not, people make prank calls that are cumbersome", he lamented. As there are only 2 dedicated lines for emergencies, they are invariably engaged. Hence, when people make prank phone calls, the actual emergency calls can't get through making it difficult for us to identify the call.

"It is a scenario of boy crying wolf because since we get overloaded with several prank calls a day, when an emergency happens, we hardly check it thoroughly" said the Fire Chief. At present, the Fire Department handles calls from Colombo city limits and if the calls are from a suburb, they are then transferred to the nearest emergency rescue operation centre, the Police or the Armed Forces.

The Fire Department's main station is at T. B. Jayah Mawatha (Darley Road) with a sub station at Sirimavo Bandaranaike Mawatha and another at the Old Town Hall. "We train at Town Hall grounds to make dummy emergency evacuations so that our fire fighters can practise in handling emergencies better", said the Fire Chief.

With the inclusion of several new fire fighting vehicles and a special unit, Colombo's Fire Department will be hoping to recruit 100 firefighters to be trained this year. "We hope that everyone realises that being a fire fighter is a brave career that only the tough-minded can do, but we are willing to get the best people for the job - even women!", concluded the Fire Chief.